Students forced to labor for Republicans

John Sugg at Atlanta's creative loafing has a story about students being forced to work for Republicans at an Atlanta area High School.

At 1337 Canton Road in Marietta is a suite of nondescript offices. Appearances can be deceiving. Think of the offices as (apologies to Tolkien) Saruman's Tower with the dark side's other spire, Sauron's redoubt, being 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C.

The Marietta stronghold harbors some of the nation's most malformed political orcs, members of the Cobb County Republican Party. They've kidnapped Jesus, hoisted a banner of devilish theocracy, embraced George Bush's trampling of liberty and tossed science in the schoolhouse dustbin. In short, the Cobb GOP is goose-stepping into, oh, the 11th century.

And, by the way, they're getting help from Marietta High School.

At the school, there's an "apprenticeship" program run by teacher Sandra Thompson, who happens to be on the Cobb GOP executive committee. According to senior Gabi McMichen, Thompson uses her school post to funnel students into gigs as Republican foot soldiers. During election season, for example, kids were dispatched to labor for U.S. Sen.-elect Johnny Isakson and other GOP candidates.

"We place students [with organizations] that contact us," Thompson says. When asked if Republican campaigns had contacted her -- Thompson, of course, works on the same campaigns -- she says, "Yes." When asked if Democrats had requested interns, she says, "No."

"We live in a Republican district," says Thompson. "That's the way it is all over Georgia. We respond to people who contact us. We do not discriminate."

In addition the curriculum is a bit suspect.

And McMichen says partisanship permeates Marietta High. "In American government class," she says, "Democrats are depicted as only minorities, as only people who need handouts."

So the Theocrats in Georgia have taken over the school system. Sounds like the tactics of the Hitler Youth to me.